Packing ring



June 11, 1929.

w. K. QUEEN 1,716,977

PACKING RING Filed March 10, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor: WzZlzrJC Queen,

June 11, 1929. w. K. QUEEN PACKING RING Filed March 10, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet MD 67110? WaHcrJC. Q1166 n,

Patented June 11, 1929.

UNITED STATES WALTER K. QUEEN, OF NEEDHAMI HEIGHTS, MASSACHUSETTS.

PACKING RING.

Application filed March 10, 1923.- Serial No. 624,243.

This invention relates to packing rings, the object of the invention being to provide a cheaply constructed but effective ring of this character which may be used in selfsetting packings, similar to that disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,044,7 87, issued November 19, 1912, to A. R. Klingloff. While the Klingloff packing was designed particularly to prevent the leakage of water or similar fluid, the present invention is designed to be 'used in stufiing boxes to prevent the leakage of steam. 1

This particular invention consists in a spirally wound strip of asbestos shaped by pressure and retained in position untilassembled in a stuiiing box, by an adhesive substance adapted to dissipate when subjected to suflicient heat and permit the'various separate winds of asbestos strip to move relatively to each other.

The invent-ion further consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement' of parts which will be understood readily by reference to the description of the drawings and to the claim to be hereinafter iven.

g For the purpose of illustrating the inven-' tion, one preferred form thereof is shown in the drawings, this form having been found to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various.instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variously arrangedand' organized, and that the invention is not limitedto the precise arrangement andorganization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described, except as required by.

the scope of the appended claim.

Of the drawings: Figure 1 represents asection of a stuffing box provided with a self-adjusting packing in which areused packing rings embodying indicate likeparts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings, 10 is a cylinder of an eng1ne,.or similar machine, said cylinder being provided with a hub'll having a cylindrical depression 12 in the .end thereof. The inner end of the depression is cone-shaped as indicated at 13 and extending into the depression 12 is the hub 14 of a gland 15, the inner end of the hub 14 having a cone shaped Wall 16 parallel to the cone-shaped wall 13 at the inner end of the depression 12.

The gland 15 may be adjusted relatively to the hub 11 by means of bolts 17 extending through said "land 15 and threaded to the flange 18 on the hub 11. Within the cylinder 10 is a piston 19 having a piston rod 20 extending through said hub 11. and the gland 15. 2

Between the cone-shaped Walls 13 and 16 and between the piston rod 20 and the inner walls of the depression 12 a space is formed in which are positioned a plurality of packing rings 21. Eachof these packing rings 21 is formed as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, with concentric walls 22 and 23, the opposite ends of which are connected by the inclined walls 24 and 25, which are parallel to each other.

Each packing ring 21 is formed by winding spirally a long strip 26 preferably of asbestos or some similar material. Before Winding the strip 26 spirally into the position indicated in Fig. 5' of the drawings, a thin coating of evaporable adhesive material as indicated at 27 is applied-to the opposite surfaces thereof by means of a brush. The

adhesive used is preferably a solution of rubber and gasoline and will dissipate When subjected to sufiicient heat.

This thin coating of adhesive only serves as a means for retaining the ring in position until it is assembled in the stuffing box of/ an engine or other machine. The adhesive coating 27 is of such a character that as soon as it is subjected to the heat of the cylinder 10, it will dissipate and leave the winds of the strip of material 26 free to move rela tively to each other.

\Vhen the strip of material 26 hasbeen spirally wound toform a packing ring 21,

as indicated in-Figs. 5 and 6 of the draw- 1 ings, said ring is then placed upon a mandrel between suitable dies and subjected to pressure, thereby forcing the different winds of the strip 26 into the position indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings with all of the winds or layers parallel to the inclined walls 24, 25, and with the separate working edges of the said winds or layers forming the vertical concentric walls of said ring. This compression of the spirally wound strip causes it to assume a position in which it is helically wound with the various winds overlaying each other. A

There is a clearance between the piston rod-20 and the inner wall of the hub 11,

so that the steam or other material within the cylinder 10 is free to move outwardly from the cylinder against the inner ends of the various winds of the ring 21.

As soon as this steam or other material comes into contact with the packing rings 21, the adhesive 27 will dissipate and the inder, the greater will be the force againstthe smaller end of the piston rings 21 to retain the walls 22 in contact with the periphery of said piston ring.

Any steam which .is capable of passing the upper packing ring 21 will act in the same manner upon the next packing ring 21 to force its inner cylindrical wall into contact with the piston rod.

Even when the piston 19 is moving up- Wardly, there is always sufficient pressure within the cylinder to retain the inner walls of the piston rings in frictional contact with the piston rod 20, and thereby prevent leakage under all conditions.

Preferably each ring 21 is covered with graphite before being positioned in the'stufiing box,v 4

This makes a very simple construction of packing rings for stufli-ng boxes of engines and similar machines, which is very effective in its operation It is believed that the operation and many advantages of the invention will be understood readily without further description.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A packing ring for piston rods of steam engines composed of a thin compressed heli-' cally wound strip of asbestos and having 1 the form of a truncated cone at one end and a cone-shaped depression at the opposite end, said strip being coated with an adhesive which will dissipate when subjected to heat, and the edges of said strip when compressed being in concentric cylindrical planes.

Signed by me at 746 Old South Bldg,

Boston, Mass, this 3d day of March, 1923.

WALTER K. QUEEN. 

